How to opt out of Instant Checkmate 2020

Instant Checkmate is a public records search service that provides information to its members for a fee. Although its initial idea in 2010 was to help people find out more information about their blind dates, the site has since allowed anyone to subscribe and view other people’s available public records. However, having your personal information available for all humanity to find may be unsettling. For this reason, you may decide to opt out of Instant Checkmate to remove your records from this popular site.

Image: instantcheckmate.comSource: UGC

Instant Checkmate provides one of the most comprehensive background search services. A background search is a verification process that involves looking at a person’s history, including employment, education, criminal records, among others. Today more than ever, information is power. Any information you can get about an individual can help you make crucial decisions in planning, dating, and verifying their identity.

Is instant Checkmate legal?

Instant Checkmate is legal. The information found on the website comes from public records, which means they are legally available to everyone. However, since the site is a search service, it does come with strict instructions. Your search should be within the legal limits. You are not allowed, for instance, to use the information from the site to:

Qualify an individual for a scholarship or a grant

Determine an individual’s eligibility for insurance or credit

Terminate a tenant contract

Validate domestic workers such as nannies and gardeners

To access the website’s records, you will need first to create an account to acquire a paid membership. The site provides several subscription packages, including a $1 for five days trial package, $22.86 for one month, $14.86 for 3-months and $9.86 for six months. The subscription will give you unlimited searches and reports. If you wish to download a report, however, you will need to pay an extra $2.99.

Instant Checkmate sources of information

When the Freedom of information Act became law in 1967, the federal and state governments were required to make all their records public and available to the citizens. Therefore, the site gets most of its information from the federal government, state, and county records.

The site then consolidates the information to provide up-to-date records to its members for a small fee. It also collects data from social media pages as well as other sites that contain massive databases such as business corporations, and law firms.

When you search a particular person, the site combs through its stored data and provides you with the latest and comprehensive report about the person. A standard report will give you various types of information, such as:

Date of Birth

Traffic Records

Phone Number and Addresses

Social Media Profiles and more

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If you upgrade your standard package to the premium package, you will gain access to a person’s details including:

Voter registration

Weapons permits

Business affiliates

Professional licenses among others

How to remove yourself from Instant Checkmate

However, what if you want to opt out of Instant Checkmate? You can withdraw your records from the site anytime. There are several ways that you can use including:

1. Direct search

You can undertake a manual removal of your information on the Instant Checkmate website. To achieve this follow these steps:

Scroll down on the website home page to quick links

Click on “Remove My Info”

Put in the required information

Click ‘Search’ to find your record

Find the report and click “Remove this Record”

Enter your email and tick on reCAPTCHA

Click “Send Confirmation Email”

Once you receive the email, click on the confirmation link to finalize the process. Ideally, the process should take no less than 48 hours. Following this process is a sure way to remove information from instant Checkmate.

2. Mail

The second way you can withdraw your information from Instant Checkmate is through sending a direct mail and request to opt out of Instant Checkmate. Here is the mailing address you should use to send in your request.

Instant Checkmate

Attn: Opt Out

3111 Camino Del Rio N Suite 400

San Diego, CA 92108

It is important to note that if you have multiple reports on the database that you would like removed, you are required to submit a request for each report separately.

3. Automated software

An automated software tool can help you opt out of Instant Checkmate easily and with minimum effort. Such software tools include OneRep, BrandYourself, DeleteMe, and PrivacyDuck. Taking a software such as BrandYourself, you can follow these steps to clear out your info from Instant Checkmate:

The software tool will remove the records systematically without you putting in any more work.

Image: instantcheckmate.comSource: UGC

4. Cancel your account

You can also cancel your account on Instant Checkmate to remove your background information from the site. To cancel your account, follow these methods. They are:

a) Fill a cancellation form

You can visit the instant checkmate cancellation page to delete your account. The essential details needed in this process are your email address, full names, and phone number.

Here is the process to follow:

On your browser, open instantcheckmate.com

Scroll down to the quick links and select “Cancel Membership”

Log in to your account

Fill the cancellation form and click ‘Submit’

To make sure the process moves smoothly and fast, remember to give the same email and names on the cancellation form that you used to create your account.

After filling the form, the request is taken up by one of the site’s support team who will then cancel your account in about 1-2 days.

b) Email

The second option you can use is to send an email to the Instant Checkmate support team and make a request for account cancellation. The email address is available on their cancellation guide. Remember to include your full names and the email address you used to create your account. Your account will be canceled within 1-2 days.

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c) Phone call

You can also make a call to their support team and request the cancellation of your account through the number 1-800-222-8985. The best time to make these calls are:

Monday-Sunday 8.00 am to 1.00 am EST(5.00 am to 10.00 pm PST)

Spanish hours 8.00 am to 5.00 pm EST

However, the holiday hours vary, and you should check the website for call-time updates.

All these options are simple and easy to follow, and they will help you to delete instant checkmate account successfully.

What if the opt out is not working?

You need not worry. Here are a few pointers on how to solve instant Checkmate opt out not working.

Contact support team

It may require a little persistence and patience on your side to keep checking on the progress by contacting the support team until the process is completed.

Consult a mediator

Platforms such as the respected Better Business Bureau or Consumer Affairs are Instant Checkmate’s accreditation partners.

You can launch a complaint on their websites, and they can help mediate a faster process to remove your data from the site.

How to stop instant checkmate notifications

If you would like to opt out of Instant Checkmate notifications, you can do it directly on the website. Once you get to the page, click on the ‘Unsubscribe’ button. To successfully remove instant checkmate popup notifications, make sure you use the same device that you used to subscribe to the notifications.

Choosing to opt out of Instant Checkmate is a good way of protecting your personal information taking into consideration the sheer magnitude of this website. Applying any of the above methods will help you gain peace of mind knowing your data is safe from one of the largest public records search platforms.